Cambridge BEC Vantage — All Questions

Choose the best word: 'We need to ___ costs without affecting quality.'

• a.deduce
• b.seduce
• c.reduce✓
• d.produce

'Reduce costs' means to lower them, which fits the business goal. The other words mean to infer, to entice, and to make.

Select the correct term: 'Our company hopes to ___ into the Asian market next year.'

• a.extend
• b.enlarge
• c.increase
• d.expand✓

'Expand into a market' is the standard business collocation for entering a new market. 'Extend' and 'enlarge' do not collocate with 'market' this way.

Which word fits best? 'The two firms agreed to ___ their resources on the project.'

• a.pool✓
• b.pile
• c.pour
• d.post

To 'pool resources' means to combine them for shared benefit, which fits a joint project. The other words are unrelated.

Choose the best word: 'Please find the agenda ___ to this email.'

• a.attaching
• b.attached✓
• c.attachment
• d.attach

'Find the agenda attached' uses the past participle as an adjective, the standard formula for referring to an email attachment.

Select the best fit: 'Sales figures showed a sharp ___ in the third quarter.'

• a.declining
• b.declined
• c.decline✓
• d.declines

A singular noun is needed after the adjective 'sharp'. 'A sharp decline' means a large drop, which fits sales figures.